News from July 2024
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
A federal jury convicted a U.S. Navy Reserve commander today on multiple criminal charges related to a years-long bribery scheme involving Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan nationals.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
Butler, Pennsylvania-based Armstrong Group has agreed to pay $6.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly violating the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) rules governing the agency’s High-Cost Program and submitting improper costs to inflate the subsidies it received from the federal Universal Service Fund (USF).
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
Canadian and U.S. officials have reaffirmed their collaborative partnership on mutual concerns, including law enforcement information sharing, foreign interference, combating gun and drug trafficking, and addressing online and hate crimes. The meeting took place yesterday in Washington, DC, as part of the U.S.–Canada Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF).
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found that one of four restaurants owned by popular Sonoma County chef Octavio Diaz willfully denied three workers at its Healdsburg establishment more than $35,000 in overtime wages.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed settlement with OMG Partners of Turlock, Calif., to resolve claims of Clean Water Act violations. The violations occurred after one of the company’s tanker trucks overturned, causing a fuel spill that reached the San Francisco Bay. The proposed settlement requires OMG Partners to pay a civil penalty of $140,000.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
A jury convicted Gregory and David Melton yesterday in the U.S. District Court in Savannah, Georgia, for their role in a conspiracy to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate markets for sales of ready-mix concrete in Georgia and South Carolina. The conspiracy, which began as early as 2010 and continued until about July 2016, involved coordinating price-increase letters to customers, allocating specific jobs in the coastal Georgia area, and submitting bids to customers at collusive and noncompetitive prices.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has adjusted for inflation three monetary exemption thresholds used to determine whether the sale of a franchise qualifies for an exemption under the agency’s Franchise Rule. The rule mandates franchisors to disclose essential information prospective buyers need to evaluate the risks and benefits of investing in a franchise.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
The U.S. Departments of State and Justice convened the third meeting of the Counterterrorism Law Enforcement Forum (CTLEF) in The Hague, the Netherlands on July 10-11. The CTLEF, which focuses on countering the global threat of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE), brought together law enforcement, prosecutors, other criminal justice practitioners, financial regulators, and policymakers from Europe, North and South America, and the Indo-Pacific; alongside specialists from Europol, INTERPOL, the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law,...
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
Retail sales showed moderate growth in June amid a still-solid economy and near-zero inflation for retail goods, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions, released today by the National Retail Federation.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
The United States continues to promote accountability in defense of human rights in China. Today, the State Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on People’s Republic of China (PRC) officials for their involvement in the repression of marginalized religious and ethnic communities.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
Chris Frascella, counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, highlighted that cell site ID numbers can be used to deduce approximate locations, potentially revealing sensitive information. For instance, if an individual made a call near a protest, this could be inferred from the data. It remains unclear whether individuals who are not AT&T customers but received calls from those within the breached data set would be affected by approximate location metadata.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
A Texas pharmaceutical marketer was sentenced today to two years and five months in prison and ordered to pay over $59 million in restitution for conspiring to defraud the United States, receiving illegal kickbacks in exchange for compounded medications prescription referrals, and money laundering.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, along with Deputy Special Envoy Aaron Keyak, will travel to Argentina and Brazil from July 15-23. In Argentina, Ambassador Lipstadt will participate in the Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism (SECCA) forum and attend the 30th anniversary ceremony commemorating those killed in the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center, Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA). In Buenos Aires, the Ambassador and her counterparts will launch Global Guidelines for Countering...
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that allocates over $153 million for the Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Grant Program. This funding aims to cover operating costs for projects establishing new routes, restoring former intercity passenger operations, and enhancing existing services. These initiatives align with ongoing major rail projects nationwide, supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
The Department of State has imposed sanctions on Hakiman Shargh Research Company for its involvement in Iran’s chemical weapons research and development. These sanctions are being enforced under Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
EPA New England's Healthy Communities Grant Program is now accepting applications for projects of up to $40,000 in federal funding aimed at benefiting New England communities in specific target areas. The deadline for proposal submissions is Friday, November 1, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EPA plans to award approximately 15 cooperative agreements.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met with Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Jan Knutsson in Washington, D.C. on July 12, 2024. According to Spokesperson Matthew Miller, the meeting underscored Sweden’s recent entry into the NATO Alliance and highlighted the strength of the U.S.-Sweden bilateral relationship.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an order to the city of Marietta, Ohio, to address alleged violations of the Clean Water Act at its wastewater treatment facility located at 440 East Eighth Street.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
Washington D.C. — In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) are seeking detailed information on FERC’s capacity to manage the increasing electricity demand, particularly driven by the expansion of AI data centers.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 12, 2024
Acting Special Coordinator for the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment Helaina Matza will travel to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan from July 14-19. The visit aims to advance ongoing U.S.-led efforts to facilitate strategic infrastructure investments in the Trans-Caspian Corridor.
